impulse magazine: "What became of the idea of offering home office equipment as an employee benefit?"
In May 2026, German founders' magazine impulse interviewed our co-founder Jens Wöhrle for its "What became of…" series – about the evolution of Onyo, the merger with Designfunktion and why a great product alone isn't enough.
Onyo in the press: German founders'' magazine impulse interviewed our co-founder Jens Wöhrle in its May 2026 issue for the monthly follow-up series "Was wurde aus…" ("What became of…") – nearly four years after Onyo was first featured in November 2022.
In the interview with journalist Katja Scherer, Jens talks about how Onyo has developed since its founding in 2022, what he has learned about building a B2B sales motion – and why we merged in early 2026 with Designfunktion, Germany''s leading provider of office planning and furnishing.
Read the original article as PDF
You can download the full article from impulse magazine (May 2026, pp. 8–9) for free here:
📄 Download the article as PDF (impulse magazine, May 2026, in German)
Snapshot: Onyo 2022 vs. today
- Founded: 1 January 2022, Munich
- Founders: Jens Wöhrle & Niao Wu
- Team: 0 at launch → 7 today
- Office and warehouse space: 0 m² → 60 m²
- Venture capital raised: approx. EUR 1.5 million
- Revenue target 2025: EUR 1 million
- International reach: orders shipped to 15 European countries
"A great product alone isn''t enough. You have to design sales into the company from day one."
Asked about the most important lesson of the past years, Jens is clear in the interview: sales was underestimated at the start. Onyo had to learn not just to get on companies'' radar, but to actively explain how home office equipment works as an employee benefit – and why it makes particular economic sense today, in a weaker economy.
Employee benefits even in a weaker economy
Many companies are currently shrinking their office footprint because employees already spend a lot of time working from home. Instead of dedicated desks, they roll out desk sharing and, in return, offer their teams a properly equipped home workplace.
In sales conversations, Onyo shows concretely:
- What does a classic in-office workplace cost on average?
- How much can companies save with the Onyo solution as an alternative?
- How can health, productivity and employee experience be measurably improved?
How the Onyo business model works
Onyo runs an online platform for high-quality home office workplaces. Employers use the platform to provide their employees with furniture and IT hardware – from ergonomic office chairs, height-adjustable desks, monitors and IT peripherals.
Employees choose their own setup and have it delivered to their home. The employer pays a monthly rental fee – the model is fully works-council and tax compliant.
To avoid Onyo having to pre-finance hardware, we work with banks as leasing partners: when an employee selects a desk or monitor on the platform, Onyo purchases the item from a partner bank and brokers a rental contract between the bank and the customer company. Logistics and assembly are handled by partner companies. This structure keeps Onyo flexible – and scalable across 15 European countries.
Early 2026: merger with Designfunktion
The biggest step in recent Onyo history: in early 2026, we joined forces with our competitor Lendis and entered into a strategic partnership with Designfunktion – Germany''s leading provider of office planning and furnishing.
Designfunktion holds a minority stake in Onyo and benefits from start-up know-how. In return, Onyo gains access to a strong customer network and will additionally operate as "Onyo by designfunktion". We took over the home office furniture business of the former competitors, and the focus is now additionally on the rental of IT hardware.
You can find more on this development on our partner page and on the joint landing page Designfunktion × Onyo Home Office.
Our next goals
We want to double our business by the end of 2027 and become profitable. In the long term, high-quality home office equipment should become a standard employee benefit – not the exception.
About impulse magazine
impulse is Germany''s leading magazine for owners and entrepreneurs of mid-sized companies. In its "Was wurde aus…" ("What became of…") series, the editorial team regularly follows up with founders the magazine has previously featured – making company development visible over many years.
Text: Katja Scherer · Photo: Simon Koy · Published in impulse, May 2026 issue, pages 8–9.
Want to see Onyo for yourself?
See how Onyo gives your employees a fully equipped home office – as a tax-friendly benefit, fully works-council and occupational-safety compliant:
